Haste.... that all we're good for?

[Farroo]

Ok so I know we do more than haste but here's what I'm seeing more and more, granted I just reached lvl 9 recently but...

We get into the dungeon, I cast haste and away we go. The melee kill everything so quick it verges on pointless for me to cast anything save a Fireball here and there or a MM or Scorching Ray. Depending on the group even Firewall can seem a waste. There are exceptions of course but **** it seems most of the time I just feel like a hasting XP sponge. I absolutely love glitterdust but the mobs are dead well before it lands.

Maybe I'm just in good groups, maybe I just suck as a Wiz, I dunno but I love the Wiz and his utility, I just wish I felt more useful than haste or please load knock since we don't have a rogue.

Before asked this is on Normal, Hard and Elite. Elite I feel a tad more useful but it still gets zergy. I try to veer away from zergs because I'm most definitely only used for haste then.

Just curious on others thoughts

[kingfisher]

nah man, there is blur, rage, heroism and greater heroism, displacement, stoneskin......oh and jump, don't forget jump!

[Lorien_the_First_One]

Nope, you are good for blur too


Actually you are about to hit the levels where you will rule the quests and will be able to solo anything. At low level casters are weak, and as you hit mid levels, haste is the most powerful spell you can throw out. It will always be a key spell for you because of the huge impact it has on melee. That said, you will have crowd control, direct damage, and damage mitigation options all at your disposal by the time you cap. Casters are fun, no doubt about it

[EazyWeazy]

Understand what haste does for your party and your SP. The increase attack speed can greatly increase the effectiveness of your party. Yes some folks just like to run fast, but a hasted group kills faster as well.

Spending a little SP on haste can help you spend less on other spells.

[Lithic]

Lvl 5-9 is really the "haste me" zone for casters. It doesnt last very long so you are constrantly being asked for it, and your spell pool is low enough to really feel the loss of those castings.

Things get much better past lvl 10.

[Guildmaster_Kadish]

Haste is, quite possibly, the best arcane spell in the game. However, I do understand your pain--I've capped two wizards and a sorceror myself. At those mid levels, keeping the party hasted seems like a lot of mana, and sometimes it doesn't seem worth it for a benefit that is largely invisible. Once you get to higher levels, mana stops being as much of an issue. For now, though, I can only suggest that you bite the bullet and keep using haste--it really is worth it.

[Goldeneye]

From my 16 sorc, here is the level breakdown of casters:
1: useless
2-3: hypno
4-5: web
5-8: HASTE and basic buffs
9-11: Haste, GH, and Crowd Control
12-14: Important Buffs, Additional Damage for boss fights
15-16: Nukage!!!! (+ haste, and beginning of dungeon buffage)

[Sirea]

Most groups, as long as you give them a haste every couple minutes and throw firewalls where directed will let you go off and do your own thing, as long as it's not detrimental to the party

[kingfisher]

also dont forget to lube up your freindly neighborhood warforged from time to time!

[96th_Malice]

Ok so I know we do more than haste but here's what I'm seeing more and more, granted I just reached lvl 9 recently but...

Just curious on others thoughts

My thoughts ... Play the toon how YOU want to play it ! Any toon is of use regardless of how its built.

Ya so .... you gotta cast a few buffs

Ya so .... The Fighter types are killing everything !!

What it comes down to is your all gonna get pretty much the same XP in the end, SO if they want buffs so they can run off and kill things ...... Let them do it ...... Just sit back and watch the fight and reap the rewards of loot and XP !!

Later !!

[Farroo]

I think a few misunderstood my cry, I don't mind hasting the group at all, in fact I love it it makes things tons easier and agree it's probably about the best buff in the game.

I just want to be able to do more but wasn't thinking about the buffing aspect. And being WF myself I most definitely heal ALOT as well as other WF. It's just a shame to see some of the spells I think are kick ass go to waste in most groups. I'm still learning some of them and their cast times so that's part of it. Hell I got sleet storm because it sounded bad ass but got reamed the first time I used it, had no idea it affected the grp!

It hasn't been brought up to me, like hey man *** you doing or anything, I just feel left out of the "party" at times after I haste the group and watch the melee go to town.

But I wasn't thinking of the other buffs, even though I am "fire" specced I far from consider myself the DPS, I prefer being utility. Although I do feel mighty powerful on them Ice Reavers! Had my first 192+178 Scorching Ray on one last night! Hehe

[wamjratl1]

From my 16 sorc, here is the level breakdown of casters:
1: useless
2-3: hypno
4-5: web
5-8: HASTE and basic buffs
9-11: Haste, GH, and Crowd Control
12-14: Important Buffs, Additional Damage for boss fights
15-16: Nukage!!!! (+ haste, and beginning of dungeon buffage)

Sums it up nicely...

[kingfisher]

I haste the group and watch the melee go to town.

Although I do feel mighty powerful on them Ice Reavers! Had my first 192+178 Scorching Ray on one last night! Hehe

yeah, you'll be just fine

[Farroo]

I appreciate the responses all, this has actually helped me change my thoughts a little on my playstyle..... now if I could just get off work to go play some more DDO.....

[Zenako]

Oh just drop some charms on some mobs. When the others give you a hard time, just retort, that you wanted someone to stay close to you.

Nothing is more fun than a Charmed/Suggested/Stoneskined/Hasted/Displaced Air Elemental to put the hurts on the enemy mobs. one reason perhaps a number of casters pursue the Enchantment line for a while.

Buffage is fine. A major role in the success of a group. Think about it for a moment, without the buffs, many melees would probably just die, they have become so dependant on them...

[Angelus_dead]

Hell I got sleet storm because it sounded bad ass but got reamed the first time I used it, had no idea it affected the grp!

Good idea to buy all the spells and then try them one at a time in an explorer zone. That way your experimental learning can happen before everyone else is depending on you.

[transtemporal]

OP - keeping the party hasted is always a good policy. In fact, you probably won't appreciate how good a policy it is until you're a melee in a party with a caster that doesn't haste.

Thats not all casters should do of course but its one of the basics that remains through all the mods, whereas strategies like "casters only nuke and instakill" was on the way out with mod7 and died with mod8.

[Drekisen]

I play many casters myself and in a group setting I find that they best serve as support, kind of like a cleric but for helping make the melee a bit more deadly instead, and taking care of the occasional unreasonably annoying foe. I find throwing the occasional debuff, insta death or CC is the best way to go.

Now for solo'ing, a properly built sorc or wizard is an amazing sight to behold. For all new wizards and sorc's for that matter, just starting hang in there, u will be more powerful than u can imagine. Be the haste and buffbot early on, increase ur rep, get ur levels quick, and clean up when u start getting into the double digit levels, because believe me, u will.

[sisterjinx]

At least you carry haste. I was in a party one night with a 7th lvl wizzy who didn't carry haste. i was so shocked. Mostly because I HATE to run slow on any of my toons and the ones who can carry haste pick it up ASAP and even carry scrolls before that as soon as they can use them even a little. i went through many haste pots that night lol.

I know that being the haste clickie for the party can be a little less than fun and at low levels it feels like that is all you are but you just wait. You get into higher levels and i have heard melees say things like "it's a miracle the arcane's even let us come along" lol. You will RULE. (and being WF that is just even better)

[johnyBgood]

It gets better! You'll be able to solo so much stuff! for now if you want company while the melee go crazy? Stand next to the cleric, keep him safe